Nymphoides indica - Kumudini

Kumudini, Nymphoides indica

Kumudini, is an evergreen perennial plant growing in mud and shallow water, producing stems up to 1.5 metres long from a thick rhizome. The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is often grown in ponds and boggy areas as an ornamental.

Uses

Bleeding disorders, Dysentery, Wound healing, Leucorrhoea, Menorrhagia

Parts Used

Tuber, Flowers, Stem, Seeds

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	neeru thavare
Hindi	kumudini, bara chuli
Malayalam	nedel-ambel, chinnambal
Tamil
Telugu	anthara thaamara
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Water snowflake

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Karma

Pitta, Kapha

Habit

Aquatic herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple		rhizome 2-3 cm thick with prominent branch scars. Primary fertile branches many, petiole-like and uniphyllous, highly variable in length depending on the depth of water; secondary branches sympodial, zig-zag, many-jointed, trailing on water surface; each joint uniphyllous; nodes often rooting. Leaves all cauline, fertile and floating, to about 25 cm across, ovate-orbicular, base deeply cordate with narrow sinuses, entire or subentire, fleshy, glossy green above, pale and gland-dotted beneath ; petiole to 3 cm long.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexial	Umbellate clusters at leaf bases	White	5-8	Flowers bisexual, distylous in umbellate clusters from the junction of the petiole and the branch; bract to 7 x 4 mm, ovate or oblong; pedicel 5-10 cm long. Calyx deeply 5-partite; lobes to 6 x 2 mm, oblong-acute, green with hyaline margins. Corolla white with yellow throat; tube c. 2 mm long; lobes 5, to 13x4 mm, elliptic or oblong, acute, densely covered with long, white hairs within. Stamens as many as corolla lobes, dimorphic; filaments yellow. Ovary bottle- shaped; stigma sinuately 4-8 lobed; disc glands as many as stamens, orbicular.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Capsule			Capsules ellipsoid	Seeds c. 1.5 mm across, discoid, brownish, tubercled.	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Succeeds in full sun and partial shade. Prefers a rich, sandy loam. Plants grow best when the roots are submerged in 30 - 60cm of water. The plant can spread rather vigorously when growing in areas with warm winters. It has become naturalized in southern Florida. Individual flowers only live for one day. Plantlets are formed at the leaves and can be used for propagation.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area.

Photo Gallery

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  Leaves

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  Leaf and flowers

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  Flower

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  Flowers

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  Buds